For three years the islands of Maluku and North Maluku provinces have been under a state of emergency because of Muslim-Christian violence, but conditions have improved to the point where the national government has revoked the decrees. A gubernatorial election held in Maluku in August was free of violence and a Christian governor was sworn in with a Muslim deputy governor. The state of emergency was lifted in North Maluku in May, and in Maluku Sept. 12. In the troubled region of Aceh on Sumatra, where since May the military has been cracking down on separatists, the government will wait another month to decide whether to extend the period of martial law. No tourists are allowed into the region at this time. The government is also considering banning tourists from the region of Papua on the island of New Guinea, where clashes have occurred because of a plan to divide the province into three regions. Papua is sparsely populated but rich with wildlife, and it has strong appeal for adventure travelers.
